Making a Difference, Maybe

The Austin American Statesman is considering my letter to the Ed.  about the panhandling study UT did for the city of Austin.  I gave them permission to print my email- the resulting correspondence should provide good copy for this blog, which I failed to mention.  They ask that the letters be limited to 150 words, and, just so you know I can edit myself, this is it:

In your short article about the UT study of panhandlers, I noticed that there were a few things missing from the list of “barriers” to employment.  In the original press release from UT, the researchers mention that police records and outstanding warrants are the reason that some panhandlers don’t seek identification.  Also, there is no mention anywhere of alcoholism or drug use as being a problem among the “solicitors,” as the study prefers to call them. Is “health and mental health problems” a  politically correct code?  It seems that the city council could have saved some money by simply heeding the sign of an Oak Hill panhandler, “Why lie?  I need whiskey and smokes!”

They might also ask why New York has its panhandler situation under control, and Austin, Denver, San Francisco, among others, are in the midst of an invasion of “spangers.”

Let's hope this makes it to the big time.

Drives with Poodles

This is a sign of the times.  Dog's Death During Traffic Stop Brings Furor.

The uproar began as soon as the owner of the dead poodle made her complaint public.  It used to be that you had to be a drunk black man taking a beating with batons to get this kind of media attention drawn to police "abuse."  Now, you just have cradle a dead teacup poodle and whine about "insensitivity."

What is truly terrible here is that the first news stories about this only had the word of the driver to go on, with no information about the circumstances from the policeman's point of view, but that didn't stop the hysterical crazies from calling for the officer's head on a platter.  This is a more complete reporting of what the officer had to deal with:

On  August 5, Stephens pulled over Krystal Hernandez and her boyfriend Michael Gonzalez for speeding. City officials say the vehicle was traveling 95 miles an hour and driving erratically on I-35.

After initially pulling over, police say the vehicle took off again before finally stopping two miles down the road.

Mayor Narvaiz says Officer Stephens then approached the car and told the driver to step out. As Michael Gonzales stepped out of the car, he raised his hands and yelled at the officer, “she’s dead, she’s dead.

The entire incident was caught on the patrol vehicle's dashcam. The officer can be heard saying, "It's a dog, okay? You can get another one. Relax."

What do you get out of this?  I get a hysterical driver whose dog was ALREADY DEAD.  Do we want this guy driving anywhere?  No.  And by the way, if your animal isn't breathing and it will take you more than 5 minutes to get to the vet, just go to your internet and google "Dog Choking."  Then you might actually help your dog without endangering yourself and others.  New Braunfels is about 20 minutes away from San Marcos, and that doesn't count finding the vet, even at 95 mph.

As for all of the hair-trigger-animals-are-people-too folks: Protect and serve means people first.  Police aren't your doggie ambulance escort and having a sick animal doesn't give you a pass to waste police time and flout the law.

Officer Stephens, an Iraq war vet who is probably wondering why he sacrificed to protect the freedoms of idiots who really don't value human life, has to go to "sensitivity training."  As one commenter put it, to turn him into a "girlie man."

I hope the City of San Marcos DOES NOT waive the fine for the ticket.  In fact, they should put restrictions on Michael Gonzales's licence:  "Can Not Drive With Poodles."